This invention relates generally to artificial reefs and habitats for, and the harvesting of, marine life, and more particularly to a portable apparatus for sheltering and harvesting stone crabs, lobster, crayfish and the like.
Providing a marine habitat to nurture and support the increased colonization and growth of crustaceans and the like has been given considerable and extensive attention by a great many people in the past. Prior art includes many structures and apparatus which, to varying degrees of effectiveness and economy, facilitate and enhance the productivity in harvesting such marine life. The apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,449,479 to Saucier comprises a submersible hollow dome-shaped structure having at least one opening in its sidewall to allow crayfish to pass therethrough. This apparatus is intended to facilitate both harvesting and sheltering of crayfish. U.S. Pat. No. 3,741,159 to Halaunbrenner discloses a float-equipped cage for shellfish having a basket-like receptacle which incorporates a float and means for attaching an anchor and interconnecting line so as to maintain the invention at a position intermediate the water surface and bottom. The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,554 to Beaupoil et al. is directed to structure for protecting individual lobsters or similar crustaceans during their growth period.
Clearly one of the major drawbacks to the number of deployed artificial reefs is the challenge of transporting same to the deployment site. It is here that great expense is incurred with respect to most larger reef deployment projects. Despite the acknowledged difficulty of deploying larger artificial reefs, there is a general consensus among researchers that artificial reefs can actually be used to substantially increase total biomass of marine organisims in a local area. Of course, these reefs are not only to serve as habitat, but may also serve as a harvesting site by the enhancement and concentration of populations of marine life.
Another form of artificial habitat known to applicant is in the form of a plastic netting filled with oyster shell and tied into a ball by a length of cord which is attached to the upper portion of a pole near the water's surface such that the filled netting lays on the water bottom and is held there.
With regard, particularly to stone crabs which are found primarily in South Florida waters, it has been observed that stone crabs occupy horizontal holes at a substrate level significantly more often than other configurations. Even where concrete blocks by themselves have been used on barren sand and broken shell bottom in waters 10 to 12 feet deep, rapid colonization of the reefs have occurred despite their relative distance from other natural reefs.
The present invention provides a portable sheltering and harvesting apparatus for stone crabs, lobster, crayfish and other crustaceans, which is easy and convenient to convey to a particular desired site and easily assemblable and deployable by a single individual from a relatively small boat. The invention is quite economical to prepare and deploy in that it may be constructed utilizing conventional existing components in a novel arrangement which provides the necessary interior configurations to attract this marine life.